The Pitch Sports Bar & Grill — Restaurant in West Virginia

Based on a recommendation from a coworker I went to the Dunbar WV "The Pitch". First impressions were good because I'd never seen the sports complex at Dunbar and it seemed like a good setup with a nice looking property elevated above the swimming pool and sport fields. I sat outside on the rear deck overlooking the rest of the complex where it seemed a bit lacking in atmosphere for a Friday evening around 6pm (only two other tables had patrons). My server handed me a tiny, one-page, laminated menu and she asked me what I'd like to drink. I couldn't see any beer or drinks on the menu and I asked to see the drinks menu but there wasn't one. Instead, she told me to scan in a QR code on my phone. It was hopeless because the link was to the Untapped App which requires installation and registration to view the selections. I asked for a draft Yuengling because I know pretty much everywhere in the area sells it. Nope, not at The Pitch. The only selections were $6-$8 craft beers and I ended up with a random $7/16oz IPA. Nothing looked all that inspiring on the menu and I picked the chips with queso and pulled pork appetizer and a hot dog for entree. The appetizer had standard triangle shaped corn chips which were mostly too large to dip in the two tiny disposable plastic cups of queso. This appetizer amounted to less food than you get as the complimentary chips and salsa at all the local Mexican restaurants. At The Pitch, this sub par starter was $5. The entrees came with their in-house thick potato chips and the only potato alternative was waffle fries so I stuck with the potato chips. The thick chips could be a nice idea but these came smothered in a dusty, salty rub. I have never tasted food so salty. The hot dog could also have been decent but they must have chosen the saltiest sausage possible to pair with that salty chip rub. What I don't understand is why they ruin what could be OK food. My server asked if my food was alright and when I told her it was too salty, she agreed with me! Once the experience started going downhill, I started to spot more and more negatives - staff not cleaning the tables out on the deck, the ugly algae-green water in the swimming pool that they shut prematurely for the season. This was the Friday before Labor Day so the pool area could have been buzzing with activity in the temperature in the low 90s. The gaps in the paving slabs around the pool were weedy and the landscaping around the building was very neglected. Oh, and whoever heard of a sports bar that didn't have a Happy Hour? This was for me, two trips in one - my first and last visit to The Pitch. Very poor all round but so...

It seems my food experiences around the Kanawha Valley are the exact opposite of what the locals hype up. Either my expectations are too high, or people here don’t really chase quality food, or maybe they just haven’t traveled to real food destinations. Whatever the case, every time I try a “4–5 star” local spot, it ends up being a 1–3 star reality.

The Pitch is no exception, and honestly, it’s a shame Paul Smith’s name is even attached to it. Compared to 1010, this place is a far cry in quality, flavor, and value.

I have a principle for my reviews, if I can do better at home, the highest rating you’re getting is a 3 star. This doesn’t even come close!

The chicken wings were revolting. The meat itself was cooked fine, but the skin… imagine a chicken wing wrapped in a condom. That’s the texture: rubbery, completely inedible. I actually had to peel the skin off and toss it, which I’ve only done twice in my life. At first glance, it looked raw, thankfully it wasn’t, but whatever cooking method they used was unforgivable. Just flat-out gross.

The pulled pork? Should be called pulled pork soup. Saying it was “swimming in sauce” is putting it lightly, it was drowning in thin, watery BBQ broth. What’s the point of slow-cooking pork and developing flavor just to smother it beyond recognition? Real BBQ doesn’t get dumped in sauce. Sauce is a side, not a life raft. As the saying goes: those who can, do. Those who can’t, drown meat in sauce.

Homemade chips? Burnt to hell, nearly inedible. The only thing that came close to decent was the coleslaw, actually pretty good, almost as good as my wife’s homemade slaw (and hers is bangin’). But one decent side doesn’t make up for the trainwreck of a meal.

Bottom line: The Pitch is a huge disappointment, especially with Paul Smith’s name on it. If this is what counts as “top-tier dining” or “elevated bar food” in Charleston, then the bar isn’t just low, it’s buried in the ground.

To close… my stomach was wrecked the remainder of that day and the next. Thanks...

Went to The Pitch WV yesterday with some friends to eat, drink, and watch football. The food was amazing. I got the boneless honey BBQ chicken wings (pictured), and a large pepperoni Detroit style (deep dish/sauce on top) pizza, which got devoured before I could take a pic. Like I said, the food was 10 outta 10. I can’t say enough good things about the food. It was perfect.

However, we were completely and utterly shocked to find out that they don’t have the NFL Sunday Ticket! How do you have such a nice sports bar, spare no expense with the interior, and NOT have the Sunday Ticket?!?! They’ve got about 20 TV’s. 1/3 of them were just monitors with their menu on it, and the remaining TV’s were on ESPN and CBS. 20 TV’s, TWO channels, ONE football game… on a Sunday during NFL season. To put it in perspective, they had as many football games on as Applebee’s. Wowwww, majorly disappointing. We have been looking for a new place to watch NFL games on Sundays, and really thought The Pitch could be that place. We decided to quickly order the wings and pizza since we were already there and had been wanting to try it. We ate as fast as we could & regretfully decided to go to the Cold Spot for the remainder of the evening to watch the 4 o’clock games. I will definitely go back The Pitch sometime for lunch or something, but can guarantee you it will never be to watch sports… which is a shame for a SPORTS BAR. 🤯

In closing, if you want to watch a sporting event that’s not on a major network like NBC, Fox, or CBS, go somewhere else. If you’re just looking for a nice bar & grill to eat, drink, and be merry, this is the spot to go. If they had the Sunday Ticket, I would have given them 5 stars. But you can’t be a top of the line sports bar & grill, and then skimp out on the sports part lol. 4.5...